On my Dell E1705 laptop...Twice now after an update because I wanted to install an application, such as kate, after the reboot, there is no X. The first time was with using 'equo'. The second time was with Sulfur. Both times the system update was forced, meaning I had to do the update along with the application. Both times it took hours because everything was updated. Both times I had to reinstall 5.5 all over to have a functional laptop again. Am posting this while on my third forced update through Sulfur. Will see if X will start after the reboot.

Not sure if switching kernel is applicable. Am not trying to change kernels. If the updating process give me a new kernel, I will use the new one.I only want a functional laptop. Is there a way to just install an application without updating the entire system and breaking an install? I have never had this problem since SL 3x. But since 5.4 I have never had an uneventful update. Something always break. My hardware is not the latest since am not a gamer, but neither am I in the Pentium 4 days. Anyway...After reboot, the graphical desktop successfully loaded but now I have no taskbar. No way to access menu. Right-clicking produces nothing. Yakuake started fine and that is the only way I can reboot or start Firefox to post this reply. Wireless does not work, but then again, I have never have high hopes for wireless in Linux.

But that is what I am forced to do when all I want is to install an application. Anyway...I just completed a fourth reinstall on this laptop. Good thing I have an SSD to make these reinstall quick. All I want to add on this laptop are: gwenview, kate, gimp, and perl ptkdb. See how far I get this time. Hopefully, I will not have to do so many reinstall that I will reach the NAND write cycle limit.

Looks like update definitely broke the fourth re-install as well. Rebooted after installation of gwenview and evince, the taskbar is nowhere. I wonder if 5.5 is going to be as broken on my desktop as it is on the laptop.